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M Stikine River Route I 




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KLONDIKE. 






Shortest, Safest, Quickest and Best, 



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s Tacoma-Port OrdiardNavkafaCo. t 



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Will Operate their Fast and Powerful ^ 
River Steamer g 



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SKAGIT CHIEF' 



^^ Between Wrangell. Glenora and; Telegraph,.^ 




VanDuzen, Printer, 6oo Washington block 



The 3ea I^evel Route. 



The hig^h mountain rano;-es of South-eastern 
Alaska which barricade approach from the 
Pacific to the head waters of the Yukon, cross- 
ing- at their lowest passes near Djea and Skag-- 
uay being- attended with hardships and loss of 
property and life, are nowhere opened for a 
practicable route of travel inland at sea-level 
except at the canons of the Stikine River. 
Along- this line the travel is through instead 
of OVER the mountains, and sitting instead 
of WALKING — resting- comfortably in chair and 
bed instead of toiling- on foot up steep acclivi- 
ties and floundering in mire and among- sharp 
rocks and death holes. 

The formidable barrier of the mountains is, 
by the Stikine river route, overcome, not by 



I - i^nn^ 



clitnbirig' and packing- on backs of men and 
animals, but by riding straight through 
at practically sea level in the comfortable 
cabin of a steamboat, with your outfit on the 
the deck below. There is one other important 
point that is not to be overlooked, and that is 
the total avoidance and escape from hardships 
of the rain belt which along- that coast extends 
from the ocean to the summit of the mountain 
ranges, and is felt in full force on the Chilkoot 
and White passes, presenting- one of the most 
serious obstacles in the way of surmounting- 
those passes. Whereas, in the case of the 
Stikine river route, the traveler is under per- 
fect shelter ot the steamer cabin for the entire 
passage through the rain belt. 

On the Stikine route there is only 125 miles 
of land travel, the remainder being- by water, 
about equally divided between steamship and 
river steamer. Following- are the distances: — 
Tacoma and Seattle to Fort Wrangell 

(steamboat) 750 miles 

Fort Wrangell to Telegraph Creek (river 

steamers) 160 " 

Overland to Teslin Lake (horseback — good 

trail) 125 ** 

Teslin Lake to Dawson City (steamboat). . . . 598 " 

The Hootalinqua river connects Teslin Lake 



with the Yukon. It is a beautiful stream, 
navig-able for its entire leng-th and having- 
four feet of water in the shallowest places. 

Report has just arrived of important discoveries 
of gold on this river. 

Fort Wrang-ell, in the route from Tacoma 
and Seattle to Juneau, Skag-uay and Djea, but 
at one fourth less distance, is a small town con- 
taining- about 150 white people and 500 Indians, 
the site of an old government fort, on an is- 
land 10 miles off the mouth of the Stikine 
river. It has three very good stores for out- 
fitting- where reasonable prices are charg-ed, 
and is the best location near the mouth of the 
river. 

Wrangell is the ocean terminus. Telegraph 
Creek being- the eastern end of the Stikine 
river portion of the route. The Hudson Bay 
Company has navigated this stream for many 
years, and now owns and operates the steamer 
Caledonia, which carries supplies for the in- 
terior posts, making the trip up from Wrang-ell 
to Glenora in from two to three days. In view 
of the currents encountered in the upward 
trip, this is very good time; but this boat is 
well equipped with power, her engines having- 



cylinders of 16-inch bore and 6 feet stroke. 
Travellers headed tor the Klondike by this 
route g-o ashore at Telegraph Creek, or Gleno- 
ra, near by, and ride horseback or walk, as 
may be preferred, over a g-ood trail to Teslin 
Lake, v^hence a river steamer will take them 
to Dawson City. 

. The scenery is mag-nificent all the way up 
the river. One of the g-randest features is 
Vice Mountain," the name of a glacier 45 
miles from Wrangell. At the point where 
this g-lacier emerges from the mountain it is 
about half a mile in width, but its face along- 
the river measures three miles, rising- sheer 
from the water line in many places as hig"h as 
300 feet. 

The first canyon met with in the ascent is 
called by steamboatmen "Big Canyon," 
100 miles from Wrangell. It is here that the 
river has cut its channel through the moun- 
tain rang-e and rendered possible steamboat 
navigation by this sea-level route to the Gold 
Fields. The water here is very deep and the 
current strong, but a good boat can make the 
passage without difficulty. The bluffs on 
either side are perpendicular and more than 



100 feet hig-h, and this part of the canyon is 
300 feet wide and straight through its entire 
length of nearly three-quarters of a mile. 

Ten miles further up the river is the second, 
known as "Klootchman Canyon." This^ is 
without bluffs, but the mountains on either 
side rise abruptly; it is 275 feet wide and a 
quarter of a mile long. 

There has been much placer mining on the 
bars of the river. One of these bars, called 
''Buck," yielded a few years ago, $75,000 in 
one season. It is the opinion of good judges 
that successful mining could be carried on on 
a great many bars throughout the length of 
the river. 

Glenora is a new town, or post, on the river 
ten miles below Telegraph Creek, and is re- 
garded as practically the head of navigation. 
The river at this point is from 300 to 500 feet 
wide. The townsite is on the west bank of 
the river, on a long level bench running paral- 
lel to the stream, about a quarter of a mile wide 
and ten feet above extreme high water. 

The Stikine River is closed by ice from No- 
vember to May 1st, when it opens to naviga- 
tion, about one month betore the head waters 



of the Yukon are cleared, which, it is evident, 
is a g"reat advantage, enabling" gold-seekers to 
be on the ground at Teslin Lake without haste 
or discomfort to take advantage of the very 
first days of Yukon navigation to float, row or 
steam to Dawson City. 

The country between Glenora and Teslin 
Lake, traversed by the trail, is of a rolling, 
but not rough character, mostly prairie, grow- 
ing bunch grass, and is well watered bv nu- 
merous streams, all of which are reported to 
bear gold, but none of which have been fairly 
prospected; so that the portage may be taken 
leisurely, with opportunity for prospecting new 
fields for those who desire it. The great 
abundance of bunch grass furnishes food 
ready at hand at every camp during the season 
for the pack animals. A reliable citizen of 
Tacoma, recently returned from Glenora, 
makes the following statement bearing upon 
the merits of this route : 

"Glenora is at the very point of departure from the 
river where the miner may beg-in prospecting for gold 
on his way to the Klondike. I remind you that it is 
only a short distance from the Cassiar District, where 
gold discoveries caused a great excitement 25 years 
ago. From Glenora, or Telegraph, it is only 125 
miles to Teslin Lake, over a comparatively level 
country. There is abundance of water and grass for 



stock the entire distance. Pack trains make the trip 
from the river to the lake in ton days; the pack ani- 
als are loaded with 300 pounds each, and live off the 
country as they go. From Teslin Lake you can g-o 
b)' steamer to Dawson City, or you can build boats or 
rafts at the lake and g^o down with the current. There 
is fine timber for boat building- all around the lake^ 
A saw-mill is being- built at the head of the lake 
where the trail terminates. In the lake itself there is 
a current of one mile per hour, and down the rivers 
towards Dawson City the current is four miles 
an hour. By this route you avoid the dangerous White 
Horse rapids, and all of the bad whirlpools of the 
Dyea and Skag-uaj' routes. An old prospector advises 
for each person to take 2 horses from Tacoma with 
600 pounds of supplies, g-o to Wrangel and there take 
the river steamer for Glenora, the head of navigation 
on Stikine River. By taking- your time, prospecting- 
as you go, you can carry that much easily and go to 
the head waters of the Pelly, Salmon and Dease riv- 
ers, and also examine the numerous tributaries of 
these streams. Thus a man w^ould surely strike rich 
claims, in which case he can either return to Glenora 
for supplies, or come out to the Sound and return the 
next Spring. At Glenora and Telegraph there are 
large stores selling at reasonable prices. vVhen you 
have found the ground which seems to offer the best 
prospects, there build a cabin for the winter, timber 
being plentiful, and, when it freezes, sink to bed- 
rock." 

The report of a trip made last fall from 
Teleg-raph Creek to Teslin Lake and return, 
for the purpose of closely examining- the route 
and its resources, show that there is plenty of 
grass for horses all along the trail on either side, 
with wide expanse of reserve pasturage avail- 
able by ranging away from the trail in pitching 



camp. This trip beg-an October 7tli, and ended 
on return to Telegraph October 27th., or 10 
days going- and a like period returning. Snow- 
was encountered about 12 miles out, though 
only four inches. The small lakes along the 
route were not frozen at the time of the out- 
ward journey, but were found encrusted with 
about one inch of ice on the return. There 
are no hard hills having very heavy grades. 
The first summit, which is about 12 miles out 
from Telegraph Creek, has an elevation of 
3100 feet, but there was no part of the road 
over which a pack horse could not readily carry 
his full load. At that time the Canadian gov- 
ernment had twenty men at work widening the 
trail to a width of four or five feet. Our re- 
porter, while going north met, at different 
places on the road, about 12 men in all, some 
having horses and dogs, on their way to Tele- 
graph Creek. The Hudson Bay post is about 
50 miles from Telegraph, and contains four 
good log cabins where freight is stored. At a 
distance of three miles from this post 
north is another summit, though it is not 
steep for pack animals. A Mr. York has 7 
men and 12 mules packing from Telegraph 



and widening- the trail from the post to the 
summit. From this second summit the road is 
practically a down g-rade or level the entire re- 
maining- distance to Teslin Lake. 

There is now a g-ood trail from Glenora and 
Teleg-raph Creek to Teslin Lake, and there v/ill 
soon be a g-ood wag-on road built by the Cana- 
dian Government, On this point the Victoria 
Colonist has said: 

"If neither the Canadian Pacific nor any other com- 
pany will undertake the immediate construction of a 
railroad by this route, the Government is prepared to 
enter into arrang-ements for the construction of a 
wag^on road." 

Later the following- statement was published 
by Robert Kerr, Traffic Manag-er of the Cana- 
dian Pacific Railway w^est of Fort Williams : 

''We will have a railway line, narrow g-uag-e, from 
Glenora, the head of navig-ation on the Stikine river, 
to Teslin I^ake, about 120 miles, from which point it 
is easy sailing- or rafting- to Dawson." 

He does not say when the railroad will be 

built, but it is not likely to be ready for the 

season of 1898, nor is it certain that the wag-on 

road will be finished in time for the early 

spring movement. What is sure is a g-ood trail 

throug-h a rich g-old country lying- between the 

Stikine River and Teslin Lake, traversed by 

this route leading- to the Yukon and Klondike. 



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In proof that it is rich and inviting-, we quote 
from a lecture delivered by Canada's g-reat au- 
thority, Wm. Og-ilvie, Fellow of the Royal 
Geog-raphical Society, and Astronomer and 
Surveyor of the Interior Department of Cana- 
da who made careful explorations of this re- 
gion for his government. He said: 

"A fact I am now going- to state to you, and one 
that is easily demonstrated is, that from Telegraph 
Creek northward to the boundary line, we have in the 
Dominion, and in this Province, an area of fiom 550 
to 600 miles in length and from 100 to 150 miles in 

width, OVER THE WHOI^E OF WHICH RICH PROSPECTS 

HAVE BEEN FOUND. We must have from 90,000 to 100,000 
square miles which, with proper care, judicious hand- 
ling aud better facilities for the transportation of food 
and utensils, will be the largest, as it is the richest, 
gold field the world has ever known." (See Map.) 

There are already two steamboats employed 
in the navigation of the Stikine River be- 
tween Wrangell and Telegraph Creek, but in 
order to furnish additional means of transpor- 
tation by this route, the well-known, commo- 
dious and powerful steamer SKAGIT CHIEF 
will be placed on the route April 30, 1898, 
and thereafter,during the season, make regular 
trips. That there may be no question of her 
adaptability for the service, we make a point 
of the tact that this steamer was built especial- 
ly for shallow and rapid streams. Her new 



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PAC/r/ 
OCEAN 



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eng-incs have each a bore of 17 inches and a 
stroke of 6 feet. Her boiler capacity is more 
than ample to meet the requirements of her 
powerful eng-ines. Her hull is practically new 
and uaimpaired. Her cabins and staterooms 
are large and well arrang-ed for the comfort 
and convenience of passengers. 

The Stikine route, being- the easiest of all 
the routes to the Klondike is, in point ot time, 
the shortest. It is also the cheapest and safest. 
No lives have been lost on this line by pros- 
pectors destined for the gold fields to the north. 

Many inquiries are already coming- in for in- 
formation reg-arding this route, and there are 
indications of a strong- movement over this line 
as soon as navig-ation opens. Those desiring- 
to avail themselves of the earliest opportunity 
ot reaching the gold fields should secure pas- 
sage without delay. 

For passenger and freight rates, including- 
horses and cattle, or for any further informa- 
tion that may be desired, Address, 

Tacoma-Port Orchard Navigation Co., 

315 and 316 WashiHg-ton Bldg". Tacoma, Wash, 

C. S. Barlow, Gen. Manag-er. 



Tacoma-Port Orchard Nagavi- 

tion Company 
Passenger and Freight Rates; 

Subject to change without notice 

TACOMA TO WRANGELL: 

Passenger t ^3 o^ 

Horses * 20 00 

Cattle 20 00 

Freight, per ton 8 00 

WRANGELL TO GLENORA: 

Passenger ^ •' ^^5 ^o 

Horses 3^ 00 

Cattle 30 00 

Freight, per ton 5^ 00 




LIbHAHY Uh CONGRESS 

III 



017 185 326 6 



Conservation Resources 
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